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KEY DATES FOR WIMBLEDON 2017

Qualifying begins: 26 June

The Draw: 30 June

Pre-event Press Conferences: 1 & 2 July

Order of Play: 2 July

Championships begin: 3 July

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News
Saturday, 9 July 2016 18:00 PM BST
Workaholic Murray is better than ever on grass
How the No.2 seed keeps tweaking and improving his game READ MORE

Follow the latest news and scores from Wimbledon 2016 on Wimbledon.com or Apple TV,  or download the official IOS or Android apps for smartphone and tablet

Andy Murray's ferocious work ethic means he is a better grass court player now than when he won the 2013 Wimbledon title.

"The top guys like Andy, they have to keep on improving as if they just stand still, their ranking is going to slip," his former coach, Mark Petchey, told Wimbledon.com.

"So Andy is always looking at areas of the game where he can improve. For sure, he's a better player now than when he was the champion here three years ago."

So where has he improved?

The second serve
This has often been cited as the weakest part of Murray's game, but Petchey said that the No.2 seed has made some tweaks on the practice court and is no longer so vulnerable to attack.

"Andy has made a couple of technical adjustments, and that's given him a better second serve," Petchey said. "You could see how those improvements made a difference at the French Open, and they've been helping him here, too."

Leon Smith, also one of Murray's former coaches and now Britain's Davis Cup captain, agreed: "You look at Andy's game and his second serve in particular is so much improved."

At the net
"Andy has always had good hands, but he's stronger now at the net. I don't think he has made any technical changes to his volley. It's more about confidence when he comes forward," Petchey said, and Smith is in agreement: "Andy's net play, his confidence going forwards, you just look at the statistics and he's coming forward with a lot of success."

Greater experience
Murray already knows what it feels like to win Wimbledon. What's more, he will never again experience the stress that he went through in the final game of his 2013 victory over Novak Djokovic when he fended off those break points.

No longer a tennis obsessive
This is Murray's first Wimbledon since becoming a father, after the birth of his daughter Sophia in February.

"Experiencing the Wimbledon fortnight as a parent has been different because now I have a family to get home to," he wrote in his BBC column on the eve of the final.

"For the first time ever, tennis is probably more of a distraction for my home life than the other way around. Before, in the build-up to a Slam final, I'd always just be thinking about that match. I don't feel like that just now - I'm just looking forward to the next time I see Sophia and Kim."

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